


There's a good reason these tables are numbered honey, you just haven't thought of it yet

by Yeira



Category: Shadowrun
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fear of Death, Gen, Magic-Users, Mental Breakdown, Psychological Torture, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 16:09:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21322966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yeira/pseuds/Yeira
Summary: Lucy Cline, daughter of the powerful CEO of Horizon Gary Cline, had it all, when she grew up: power, money and a future. Now, years later, after she had fallen from grace, being violently transformed into a banshee out of jealousy and revenge, she had moved on to climb a different ladder: Dwelling in Seattle's shadows, Lilith had made a name for herself, establishing a home for runners and infected alike. But these shadows won't hide her forever and when two of her oldest allies get caught up in a desperate situation, Lilith has to face her inner demons and her past to get them the help they need. A masterful magician and praised illusionist has underminded her powerbase, so crawling to him for help is all there's left for her. Will the moon adept get the help she so desires or will she end up drowning in darkness and despair?
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. Please, leave all overcoats, canes and top hats with the doorman, from that moment you'll be out of place and underdressed

**Author's Note:**

> Hello dear readers and all other individuals, who have stumbeled over this story by accident :)  
First as a disclaimer: I don't own any rights on the song from Panic at the Disco "There's a good reason these tables are numbered honey, you just haven't thought of it yet". This story is heavily inspired by it and moves along it's lyrics, a so called "Sonfic" if you like. I will add one chapter per lyric bundle I have created and they will vary in length.  
I also don't have any rights on the "Shadowrun" franchise, I merely enter my original characters as well as characters from the source material into my story.
> 
> This story was ment as a gift, so my baby: This is all for you! <3 Jones yeah!  
To you others: Please enjoy! :)

A sea of glimmering, flashing lights stretched out as far as the horizon unfolded before her, gleaming proof of the life existing so many feet below her, working, praying, loving, killing...

The wind picked up, tearing at her pinned up hair, her long black coat and the fine silk of her black evening gown and for a brief moment, the desire to just let go and take the one small step separating her from the abyss, became unbearable. Inches away from it, her filigree foot stopped trembling in the air.

“_No... my time has not yet come and Mirror and Annie need me... this monster still has duties to fulfill before being allowed to embrace demise...”_

Determined, Lilith turned around, backing away from the edge of the roof and the normal world of her prey and instead of setting her foot into nothing but thin air, she set it on the gravel pathway leading her to her evening appointment. She had worked long and hard to finally get the creamy white invitation card, opening up the door to this secret unworldly paradise and the power residing within it – power, she now so desperately needed to safe her loved ones.

In the midst of the heart of Seattle, HER city, on the top of the Knight Errant HQ, someone had not only build a vast, elusive mansion, but surrounded it by a stunning variety of magical plants, arranged in a sheer labyrinth of a garden. The astral space around her glowed from magic and as she walked past a bed of Lunar Tears, Lilith couldn't help but gently stroke one of the petals, enjoying the swirls she created in the surrounding mana flow.

Her fine senses told her, that the other guests of the banquet were about to arrive, she could already hear the rotors of the helicopters circling in on the landing pad on the other edge of the roof. Picking up her pace, the Banshee was first to arrive on the doorstep of the ancient looking, decorated wooden door, where she straightened her body, waited and started to radiate self-confidence.

She had intentionally fed herself before coming here, with the other guests all being either high positioned executives of corporations or emissaries of Syndicates – she will need every mean of underlining her statements she could get and now, she was overflowing with the essence of the weakling, she had chosen to be her minion. That she had fallen so deeply, that it was necessary for her to force another human being into dependence on her bites, just as it had been done to her, disgusted her... but for the sake of the only lights in her life, Lilith would gratefully sacrifice the last remnants of her humanity.

As soon as the steps halted behind her and the soft whisper of exchanged hypocritical compliments faded away, the entrance door swung open and the mild light of gas lanterns bathed over the 5 awaiting guests.

“_Gas lanterns? Who in this godforsaken world is still using such old style lighting methods besides me? And I'm only using candles, because the rich upper class willingly adds another zero to the bill once their tables are decorated with colorful scented ones. So the rumors I've heard about the mage residing here and him being a rather mysterious, special fellow, seem to hold some truth...”_

The more the door opened, the more could Lilith see the polished dark wood of the floor and the beautiful chandelier hanging from the high ceiling and in midst the grand entrance hall, between the ends of two curved stairways leading upwards, stood presumably the butler.

He was a tall grown male elf with white, short hair and piercing green eyes, wearing a clearly handmade, made-to-measured black suite and a scheming smile on his lips. When Lilith took the first small step inside, her heels creating a noticeable clicking sound on the waxed parquet, the butler sank into a formal, deep bow, stretching out one of his arms.

It was perfectly executed, but Lilith was not fooled so easily: There was a mocking undertone in both the bow as well as the rest of his body language and a quick check of the aura confirmed her first suspicion. The creature before them was not a normal human being, with their host being a high class sorcerer, she had already expected magical servants, but not a low force bound spirit of man following his orders.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are ecstatic to be able to welcome you into the master's mansion. Please, come in and relax yourself, while I take care of your overcoats and other accessories.”

The voice of the ghost was rather exquisite, a soft melodic undertone prevented the said from sounding to harsh, and there was no drop of the typical unfriendliness audible – **he** must have strict and absolute control over his spirits.

In one elegant motion, Lilith walked towards the butler and let the black, creamy silk of her coat slip down over her shoulders and arms, exposing her pale, white, flawless skin. Letting the cloth hang from the end of her long, sharp fingernail, she offered it to the butler. Before he could grab it, she let it slip of her nail and sent it floating towards the parquet and without pause continued walking towards the dining hall.

With the other guests' whispers, mocking her, and the rustling sound of more expensive clothing being removed in her back, Lilith almost couldn't suppress a shiver. Taking a deep breath in, she regained her calm – the amount of power discussing and following behind her had threatened to overwhelm her. Although she wore an expensive lace dress and outwardly showed high class behavior, Lilith felt a bit underdressed and out of place – she didn't belong here, yet here she was, walking down the hallway the butler had pointed towards, further into the realm of the deceiver.


	2. I'm wrecking this evening already and loving every minute of it, ruining this banquet for the mildly inspiring, and...

On the path to the presumable dining hall, Lilith was once more astonished by the extravagance of the mansion. The corridor didn't feel like a normal passageway, no, the huge lancet windows hemming the right wall provided a crystal clear view of the glistening garden and flooded the area with the shining blue light of the full moon. It bared resemblance to a church aisle, a place full of devotion and peace and even though her heart was racing, Lilith felt the calming effect, the moon always had on her. Since the other guests seemingly didn't make any attempt on following her quickly, she allowed herself a moment of recollection and approached the middle window. Supporting herself on her elbows, she rested her head against the cold window pain, closed her eyes and began deep, rhythmical breathing.

“_Mother Moon, my guardian, my soul, please look dearly upon your daughter this evening. _

_Lend me your strength to be merciless and fierce with everyone standing in my way to salvation. Open my eyes to what's right and what's wrong, help me not to get lost in a web weaved with illusions and lies. _

_Illuminate my heart to remind me why I'm doing all of this, let it overflow with love, so that when my mind is weak, my emotions will be strong. _

_And please, above all else, have mercy with your poor sinner and embrace me in your caring arms once I come before you, although I'm no longer a real human...”_

Lilith prayed with everything she had, just like she always did, when she felt as if everybody else had deserted her – Moon would always listen, would never leave her.

Once her heartbeat had slowed down enough, she turned her thoughts to the other guests this evening and analyzed her available information on them. They were all “respectable” people, who – although very powerful in their domain – urgently needed help from **him** to sort out their dark secrets and thus had no choice but to accept the invitation. 

**He** will probably force them to confess their problems, not in private, but in front of all the others, their worst political enemies. It will leave them at his mercy, ripped open and vulnerable, at the same time giving him absolute power over them – indeed, everybody, that had come here today, had a lot to lose by coming here, but more so if they hadn't. 

First, there was Kosuke Tomizawa, a familiar face to her as they had been discussing deals with each other in the past, yet Lilith had never seen him this desperate. As oyabun of the smallest yakuza organization in Seattle his power might be the most limited, but only compared to the rest of the guests. He was a strong advocate of “the new way” and with his preachings to revolutionize the old structures, to embrace meta-humanity, magic and women, he had found a considerable amount of enemies in the old fashioned yakuza ranks. In recent times, Kosuke had always denied her offers, secluded himself from the shadow community and rumors had went round, that his power base was crumbling and bounties had been set on his head. Today, he was most likely going to seek shelter and protection or will accuse all those present of breaching contracts – what will happen after that was still only written in the stars.

A dispute with the second guest, however, seemed almost inevitable. Al Cavalieri, consigliere of Dona O'Malley, the mafia queen of Seattle, had somehow found his way on top of this skyscraper. That itself was a sensation, because as everybody in the underworld knew, the very old man was not only the driving force behind Dona's wealth of information and connections, but also very fragile. He had spent the last few years hidden away in private delta clinics, undergoing anti-aging treatments and recovering from all his different types of cancer – but no amount of money in the world could save you from the impartial egalitarian, death, the one entity Al Cavalieri was truly afraid of. Lilith didn't know, what exactly he had been promised by coming here, cause magic held no different answer to this century old question.

“_There's only one thing I know of that permanently removes your problem of aging and that, my friend, is not a pleasant experience...”_

Lilith's deep concentration was broken, when her finely tuned senses warned her about movement in the hallway, right behind her. She hadn't heard any footsteps coming along the aisle, in fact, even the distant talking had died down and before this sound had emerged, she had been praying and thinking in complete silence. Now, that she had noticed, the silence became deafening and its existence struck Lilith as odd: Wasn't this the right path leading to the dining hall, where the formal meeting was supposed to take place? Had she gone the wrong way and if so, why hadn't the spirit informed her, that she had been venturing off the given path?

The stillness was broken from a sound, so soft, that it subconsciously reminded her of fine silk gliding over immaculate skin, and with the elegance of a hunter, Lilith opened her eyes and spun around, instantly locking onto the source of the noise.

A bird, about the size of a thrush, was flying beneath the luxuriously remodeled stucco of the ceiling, drawing circles around the lantern illuminating the painting on the wall behind her – Lilith's first question would normally have been how a bird had managed to find its way into the house, but here, her attention was drawn to the flames dancing over the feathers and licking at the wood of the wall, leaving black, burned stains behind. A mind shattering screech left the bird's peak and as Lilith tried to assense it, it halted midair, flapped its wings and pushed itself forward, spiraling while gaining speed and broke through the glass window right above her. A cascade of shards descended upon her, cutting her arms as she held them above her head for protection, but through the pain, Lilith still followed the creature with her eyes. Once through the barrier, the phoenix opened its wings again and almost lazily drifted over the plants towards a round arch surrounded by flower beds. And there, amid Lunar Tears, she stood.

Eleanor was wearing the exact same dress, Lilith had made for her years ago and gifted her at her 12th birthday, her favorite piece of clothing and coincidentally the one she had worn the night of her disappearance. But the once sparkling white fabric was now tainted and ripped, staring from mud and blood and only loosely hung in pieces from her slim shoulders. Underneath, Eleanor was clearly naked, violet bruises decorated her vulnerable skin and as she stretched out her delicate arm to let the bird land on it, Lilith could see, that her whole right side had been torn apart, her rips shattered. The remnants were sticking out of her flesh like white fingers, grasping to escape their prison.   
It was a gruesome sight and although Lilith saw similar or worse on a daily basis in the shadows and in the ring, she couldn't maintain her calm. It was Eleanor, her vulnerable, little sister she had thought dead for years, the lost love, that had left a chasm in her heart – one, that even revenge on the monster Reaper had not been able to close. Lilith's precious and high held calm slipped as her heart ignited in a dangerous mixture of anger, disbelief, joy and sadness and furious with emotions, she jumped over the remains of the window. Her heart sang with the desire to embrace her, hold her, tell her how sorry she was...

“ELEANOR!”

At the moment Lilith's voice rang out, as loud as meta-humanly possible, four other cries echoed through the mansion, filled with the same pain and despair, so rich with emotion, that it could only be caused by facing your lost dear ones or your biggest fears.

Her foot touched the ground, the soft grass caressed her tender sole and with stretched out hands, Lilith aimed to sprint towards Eleanor, only distantly feeling her blood running down her arms and the wounds closing. But as soon as she wanted to make the next step, her world started spinning and a sharp pain exploded in her head, blurring her vision – her running transformed into stumbling, she lost balance and toppled over. The last thing she saw was Eleanor turning her back to her and wandering off into the rampantly growing maze.

“_No... Ellie... don't go and leave me again...please, come back and hold me...I need you...” _

The feeling of having lost her sister for good this time, the burden of absolute failure washed over her, brought tears to her eyes and caught in agony, Lilith's fingernails buried into the loose earth... but there was no earth underneath her, there was red, fluffy carpet spreading over dark, polished wood. While the banshee tried to regain her composure and orientation, a quiet, soothing voice as clear as a bell, enriched with pity and sadness, rang in her ears.

“So it has begun... I feel so sorry for you, for all of you, lead here by your desires and now captured in his web, that is not only spun to further his plans, but also for his enjoyment. And you have to admit, it is inspiring, at least mildly, if not more... Don't you agree, Lucy Cline?”


	3. When you're in black slacks with accentuating, off-white, pinstripes

Lilith slowly blinked, using her elbows to lever herself up, to move out of this embarrassing position of defeat and submission. The pain in her head was still pounding, pulsating in the rhythm of her heartbeat, but after a deep breath, she ignored it and focused on the surrounding.

The room she was in had the dimension of her living room in the Nyx and was filled to the brim with bookshelves. Made out of polished, shimmering wood (her best guess was mahogany), these shelves covered both sides of the room as well as the back, only leaving room for a chimney and three old-fashioned windows. They were as high as the ceiling and inside of them were white folders, accurately placed one next to another, sorted in a system unknown to her.

If there weren’t folders in them, they were filled with books, large and fat ones, all coated in creamy white leather with the name of the book written on their wrists in tiny, black letters. One shelf to her right seemed to be only dedicated to collecting different print-outs of the bible. It seemed as if the bookshelves built the frame for the gigantic mahogany desk, that dominated the room and was placed in such a way, that the natural light from the windows illuminated the gleaming surface. The desk itself was full of papers and folders, leaving only little space to actually work on it.

Behind that desk sat an elf, immaculately dressed in a custom made, obviously very expensive black suite, with a dark red tie and a matching pocket handkerchief completing his attire. His black hair shimmered in the blue moonlight, magic seemed to keep every single well groomed hair in its exact position. Already in these first few moments, he made a lasting impression on her: his elegance, perfection and distance from everything made him feel so unreal, more like the cut-out of a typical gentleman from old romance novels than a real sorcerer – perfection had become the norm in the upper ranks of society, but something set this elf apart from the rest. Lilith shuddered as she felt the gaze of his ice-blue eyes resting upon her, piercing her soul and feasting himself on her innermost secrets. Just as she made out the hints of ever burning blue flames, lurking behind the darkness of his iris, he snapped his long, slender fingers and the banshee blinked.

How could she have forgotten about the sweet, female voice, reaching out to her as she had fallen into the mud? And there, behind the desk, clearly sat the origin of that sound, a young, female elf, wearing a pair of black slacks with accentuating off-white pinstripes and a creamy silk blouse. It was a strange combination of clothes, yet at the same time fittingly apt – friendly light-green eyes framed by curly, dark blue hair watched Lilith as she got up and fixed her dress. No dirt or bloodstains were visible on her arms and as her hands went up to fiddle at her hair, she found it undisturbed. And no signs of a male elf anywhere in the room.

“Would you be so kind to tell me your name and how it comes, that you know mine? I also wonder about the whereabouts of the other guests, it seems as if I lost track of them some time ago. I was invited to meet with the head of the household, yet after a confusing trip, I find myself here.”

With small careful steps, Lilith approached the desk, not letting her guard down for a second. The confidence and friendliness in her voice were fake, but the methods she had learned to control herself like that over the years had always served her well without ever being detected. As she stood directly in front of the table, the other woman rose and held out her hand. She was only about 1,50 meters, really small for an elf and like water, yellow washed over her blue hair and changed color as Lilith accepted the handshake.

Lilith studied the body language of her opposite closely for any sign of hostility, but was met with nothing but kindness, to an extent, that appeared childlike and naive. A quick look into the astral space revealed the truth hidden behind this behavior: The woman was under the constant influence of multiple spells and from the looks of it, she had been for years. The magic was inseparably interwoven with her aura, like a welcomed, embraced second layer, a true masterwork of spellcasting – more calligraphic writing than forceful bending of mana. Memory displacement, altered memory, an one-sided mindlink, the remnants of controlled thoughts, an anchored variation of shapechange... and under all this magic shone a love, so true, unconditional and all-encompassing, that Lilith was sure it couldn't be real.

“I'm so pleased to meet you and it will be my pleasure to answer your questions as best as I can. I'm afraid, we don't have much time for formalities, so it must suffice to introduce myself as Rachel.”


	4. Whoa, everything goes according to plan

“Please, sit down and make yourself comfortable.”

Granting Lilith a small smile, Rachel got up from the leather boss chair, turning it around and as Lilith slid into her former place, Rachel sat down on the small free space on the desk opposite of her, starting to dangle with her feet.

“Making myself comfortable? I thought we don't have much time on our hands as you have stated beforehand. If its possible for you, I'd rather quickly get my information and join the other guests – in the end, that is what I'm here for.”

Lilith felt pity for this poor woman, she had been caught in the deceiver's web years ago and maybe out of sick interest, he had kept her.

“_I will never allow myself to get caught in magic and lies like this, tempted with the option to take the easy way out, unable to think for myself anymore...”_

Still, she should try to disregard the girls condition and treat her equally, no matter, that he could listen anytime and she would probably not remember.

“Of course and please, there's always enough time for comfort – if we don't even take the time for that, the world would soon go to ruins. We would be nothing more than pigs walking on their hind legs. I know the look in your eyes...”, Rachel's voice grew louder and her hair changed color once again, this time to a brilliant red, “you pity me for what you see and believe to be the truth, without thinking further about the other possibilities. Still, I will offer my help to you, because this evening, you are the one I've chosen to exercise my right on.”

After a few deep breaths, her hair color changed back to a neutral blue – apparently, Lilith had hit an open nerve.

“Every time my darling organizes banquets like this to further his plan, I will talk to one of his guests and show them a different path. You might not believe me, but Mephisto and I are both defenders of the free will, although we use different approaches. In all his years on earth, through all the experiences he has made, he unfortunately has lost his romantic view of the world and grew more pragmatic: people will not decide for their own as long as someone offers them the easier route, promises to think for them and thus, they all become slaves of their own laziness. He tries to fight this phenomenon by showing his guests, what will become of them this way, creating illusions around them, that will turn into reality if they don't change their behavior.

I still have faith in humanity and use the old method of normally talking to my chosen ones, shunning mind manipulation as long as possible and only use it for self defense.”

“This is all very interesting and I'm starting to get the picture, but aren't we all here, because we crave something and are unable to reach it on our own? I get, that you acquired the exclusive knowledge about my birth name from him and that he had gotten it through intensive research. I can imagine, that the dinner will be full of wires, he's just waiting for us to trip over, the forbidden use of my birth name and my reaction to it being one of them.”

Lilith felt the anger rising beyond her inner cold barrier – this evening turned out horrible already, the things she experienced here went above every manipulation she had been exposed to previously and were tucking at her heartstrings. Nobody should ever mention the damned last name of her godforsaken father, the heartless bastard, that had impregnated his secretary and had used the product as long as strategically viable. Lilith had been working her way to the top, climbing one manager level after another, loyal to Horizon, until her father thought of her as an uncontrolled menace, bribed her “boyfriend” Mike and so generously paid for her visit of Reaper. He had destroyed not only her life, but the life of her half sister Ellie as well, an offense she will never forgive him.

“Please listen to me, Lilith. When you go in there, you will win nothing, but lose a lot.

While the others at this venue might just be side characters and after the game will leave without memories and empty hands, their consciousness won't be touched further – think of them as the backdrop for the fight, that will flare up between you and my love. Than unlike the others, you are a crucial component in fulfilling the deal he has made and he will not let the opportunity of you being here slide.

So I ask of you nothing more than turning around and leaving this mansion behind, I will protect you on your way out and if you try hard enough, you will be able to succeed on your own. If you decide to throw my warning to the wind, Jones will await you on the end of the corridor behind this door. It's your choice, but let me assure you, there is no escape afterwards.”

Pushing herself out of the chair, Lilith got up and fixed her dress – there was a small tremble noticeable in her thin fingers. With seemingly confident steps, she moved around the desk and past Rachel, marching towards the mentioned door. She couldn't exactly work out the motives of this woman, but Lilith knew a few things for certain.

The sorcerer already had her in his claws, the distinction between illusion and reality had become impossible even for her sharp eyes, so reaching further into his web wouldn't make it enormously worse.

And if every part of this encounter had been planed to its fullest – she didn't care about helping him with his devious plans, as long as she got, what she wanted. Hell, this whole conversation with his “lover” had probably been set up as a test for her determination and also went just as he had anticipated.

If she accepted Rachel's offer and left under her “protection”, this evening and all the prior efforts of getting here would have been a waste of time – time, that she had spent in hopes of finding help and answers here, ignoring her other connections and obligations for unreasonable amounts of time. She had reached the limit of her possibilities, but Mirror needed help! So running away cowardly was not an option, no matter the consequences it meant for her.

And that was the last thing, Lilith knew for certain, she had known it for the longest time. The voice had always been there in the back of her head and year after year, she had ignored its callings: She believed, that she deserved death for her monstrous nature and since the fateful night of her transformation, she didn't care about what became of her.

“I'm sorry, but I will decline your generous offer. For better or for worse, I need the help of your...love... and I won't turn back, when I've already come this far. Good night to you, Rachel, and a beautiful rest of your life.”

When Lilith took the last steps towards and through the door, leading into another aisle of a corridor, a soft whisper followed her, reaching her ears before she was able to shut the door completely. And it burned itself into her soul, because she was able to feel the weight and truth of the words:

“I pity you, lost soul... I hope you find, what you are so desperately searching for and rise from the ashes of your destroyed life...Goodbye to you too...”


	5. I'm the new cancer, never looked better, you can't stand it, because you say so under your breath; You're reading lips, "When did he get all confident?"

The clicking sounds of her heels were all consuming as Lilith walked down the short aisle towards the dark wooden door – behind there, the dinner was probably already in full swing, so her entrance had to be impressive. Fixing her appearance one last time, she lifted her hand and touched the doorknob, ready to twist it, when the door swung open on its own and revealed the dining hall.

Bathed in a mixture of the warm light from the gas lanterns, hanging on the wood paneled walls, and the cold, unrelenting shine of the full moon, lay the room stretched out in front of her. A fine dining table, deliberately carved out of one mahogany tree, loaded with dishes, bottles of wine and silver crockery was situated in the center of the room, the arrangement completed by similarly made wooden chairs. At the head of the table, directly under one huge window and thus in the spotlight, sat their host, the same immaculate elf, Lilith had already seen in the office.

Jones had relaxed himself into his comfy chair, nipping on his wine glass, while his blazing blue eyes rested on his guests. The “politicians” sat opposite of each other, handling their silverware, eating and drinking – it seemed like a normal dinner, but Lilith immediately noticed both the distress in the mana as well as the people. The background was sated with fear, sadness and confusion, hanging over the room like fine mist, tickling her senses. Every one of these powerful, hardened individuals was stiff in their movement, sweating and shot a glance at Jones, whenever they thought he wouldn't notice. Besides the heavy breathing of Al Cavalieri and the clacking of the cutlery, the room was shrouded in complete silence. 

His cancerous lies and illusions had already infected all their minds, spreading through their consciousness, the line between reality and dream had begone fading and they all were lost in the ever present feeling of drowning.

After a general look through the room, taking in the atmosphere and gracefully evading Jones's glare, she knew she had been right when making educated guesses about the other two guests this evening and Lilith didn't know, if she should be happy about that. Her eyes locked onto the one man in this room she might possibly hate even more than the smirking elf: Mitchell Dowes, Horizon's current top coordinator in Seattle and one of her former colleagues. He sat right next to his new best friend, Phillip Tan, the present VP of Shiawase, and was sheer fascinated by his plate.

“_Pathetic, cowardly worm, you only climbed to the top, because you slathered the asses of all superiors with honey and then licked it up again. Mike might have gotten you to the top, climbing over my sister's corpse, but now that he has gotten what he deserved, the birds started singing a song, you don't like._

_Everybody in this room knows, why you are here tonight: The big bosses are about to give you the chop, there's too much blood on your hands, that they can't ignore anymore, and you're trying to cling to your power._

_And your new best friend, Tan, is roughly in the same position – that's why you are sympathizing, at least as long as it benefits you, before turning on your “ally” and tearing each other apart. Only by combining the rest of your miserable resources, you were able to afford appearing here._

_How pathetic you are, and this is me thinking, a monster in the true sense... Oh, how I LOVE politics and what it makes of people!”_

'”Ah and there is our final guest for this evening. Miss Lilith, please sit down and make yourself comfortable. Do you have any problem, when I just call you Lilith?”

Unable to evade his look any longer, she focused all her will and locked eyes with Jones, challenging his from mockery glistening eyes.

“The other honored participants have already agreed on this. I just find it more fitting, if the rest of the night is spent with a sense of familiarity between us – we are all friends here, after all...”

Yes, he was right, she had merely forgotten about it: She liked everybody present in this room, they had been friends for the past few years, hell possibly for even longer. For so long, that even she with her perfect memory was unable to recall the exact amount of time. The cruel world had just kept them apart, preventing their happy, so long anticipated reunion and now, that they had finally made it, it was an occasion worth celebrating.

When Mitchell gave her a warm smile, Lilith shuddered and leaned back further into her chair. Her...chair...? Slowly blinking, she realized, that she must have been absent for at least a minute – instead of still standing in the doorway, a better strategic position providing an escape route and an oversight over the hall, she was sitting on one of the throne like chairs opposite of Jones. A full wineglass had found its way into her hand and all the others' eyes were resting upon her. How could she, if only for a moment, have thought of these apes as friends? Damn, this elf really was good.

“Fantastic, Lilith, we all appreciate, what you will do for our dear friend Cavalieri. No longer will he have to be afraid of death and only because of your generous offer. I'm almost moved to tears... A round of applause for the solution to our first problem, gentlemen!”

The soft, cultivated voice awakened an almost feral rage in Lilith's heart, only controlled by her hard earned self control. The other men around the table started clapping politely, Al Cavalieri, however, applauded her with raw excitement, hope and gratitude. Whatever the wizard had made her say, it had wiped away the ever present fear of oblivion – and she could think of only one thing, she was able to provide for solving his “issue”.

“_You ugly bastard, son of a 50's trideo sorcerer, you have made me promise to infect him!”_

She did not have to look him into the eyes to see, that she was right. Of course he had noticed, that she was resisting his spell by now, but he made no intention of weaving another one. He had already pushed her into an impossible situation, why should he waste more power? His whole body language screamed confidence and enjoyment.

“The magical cancer infecting this world has never looked better...”, she whispered under her breath, quiet so it was only audible for her ears. She had to let off at least a tiny bit of steam or else she might explode – she also had her boundaries and she knew, that he was testing them at the moment.

“What did you just say, Lilith? I'm terribly sorry, but I was unable to hear you clearly.”

Jones flashed her an understanding smile, his voice full of heartfelt regret.

“Ah, I think I understand... how insensitive of me. Of course, you want privacy for the process, I'm sure it is quite an intimate procedure. I'll have a room prepared for you at once.”

The elf lifted his hand, twisting it in one quick, elegant motion and out of nowhere, the bound spirit emerged, still in butler form. He bowed, this time without mockery, but something akin to adoration, before moving his ear next to Jones's lips. Of course he could talk to the ghost via sympathetic link, but this evening was his show and every set piece had been carefully selected and had to be used appropriately to its best effect. The ghost vanished and Al, still trapped in magic, rose eagerly. The sorcerer raised one eyebrow, his look conveying one simple challenge to her: Show me how you get out of this one.

The banshee had to play by the rules of his game, this was a test meant for her, so she was forced to stay as polite as possible. The others were still under his spell and unfortunately, she was not able to tell if they will remember anything said during this period. So it was best for her to avoid remarks, that might cause complications later on if they did remember.

Denying her state would be implausible and ridiculous, they knew about it after her confession now or maybe even beforehand, when they were informed well enough. It would only undermine her defense and weaken her position.

“I'm terribly sorry for the misunderstanding, I have caused with my thoughtless comment. It is in fact true, that I'm a banshee”, Lilith swallowed hard, this was the first time she had spoken the cursed words in front of socially respected individuals, “and that this wretched virus grants regenerative powers and stops aging.”

She was met with a round of understanding nodding, Jones seemingly ready to give another one of his “friendly” comments, so she hastily continued speaking, losing another bit of her composure on the way.

“However, because of the unfortunate occurrences surrounding my transformation, of which I will spare you the details, I made an oath a long time ago not to force another human being into submission and hell as it had been done to me. This binding vow leaves me unable to pass on the virus, even if it might serve a greater good. My sincerest apologies, Al Cavalieri.”

Lilith slightly bowed her head, both imitating the gesture for formal apologies and simultaneously hiding her face, before her temper would escape her and her disgust would become apparent. She was apologizing for one of her core beliefs, for not reigning with fear over weaker individuals, because in this twisted society, the ones with power were expected to use it relentlessly.

This wouldn't be necessary if the population started to think about others again, to redevelop a sense of camaraderie – outcasts of society, the sprawls of the shadows, were ahead of the rich and famous in this point. In the dark, trust was an all consuming force, a necessity for survival: think not only about yourself, but about your chummers, shooting the cops for you, when things start to get messy and later, you'll cover for them. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, that was the motto.

And then, the realization hit her and for a brief moment, disregarding all the hatred and confusion, Lilith understood. She understood, what Rachel had tried to explain to her, what Jones wanted to achieve and why sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. But then her defiance instantly hit her again and reminded her, that whilst this might be true, those sacrifices should never include her loved ones. She had already lost to much to this world. She wouldn't give in.

When she lifted her head again, she was instantly met with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous smile.

“_He has foreseen, that I will understand his motive eventually and has waited for my decision before continuing this game. Now he has seen, that I willingly decided against him – so my last hopes for his mercy have vanished. Still, I have to continue this farce... oh, but I don't like this smile and what is hiding behind it.”_

“Oh please, Lilith, don't excuse yourself. You just managed to surprise me deeply – fate wants it, that a matter has been brought to my attention, providing proof demonstrating the contrary of your statement. I must be the special kind of wine I'm only serving the best of my guests, that is tempering with your unrivaled attentiveness, confusing you. As it is the duty of a good friend in such a situation, I will do my best to jog your memory.”

As he lifted his hand once more, snapping his fingers and causing the door to swing wide open, there were two things, Lilith was immediately hit with.

The general mood in the room was changing drastically, which meant, that the elfin sorcerer had chosen to drop his spell. The feelings slowly resurfacing from under the magical remnants were both radical and forceful in their intensity, enriching the air with the tastes of hate, confusion and fear and Lilith caught herself subconsciously licking her bottom lip, distinguishing the fine nuances of emotions. Her other side was feasting on them, enjoying their taste, in a way even better than sweet blood. Since the banshee had been drinking regularly again, from a dependent slave moreover, the time spans she didn't feel the urge of hunting had become increasingly shorter, transforming from weeks to mere days. Under normal circumstances, Lilith would have quickly regained her composure, locking the feral instincts deep inside her until the last possible moments. But this evening had torn at her strong will and the meal, Jones had just presented her with, was truly a delicious one.

It was hard to tell looking back if she really would have followed her desire and jumped over the table, ripping open Mitchell's throat – but just as if he had planed it, the elf had presented Lilith with the right distraction to prevent such a scenario.

This distraction came in the form of Owl, one of the best pit fighters the Nyx had ever seen before Kratos had joined the ring – and now her slave.

The first time Lilith took his blood and essence, she rectified it with him having nearly killed the Viking in the arena. It was nothing more than a stupid excuse, she kept mumbling to herself to quiet her inner demons, because in fact she knew, that the Viking had willingly, in face of all risks climbed down the hole. So while one of her only friends was lying heavily wounded on the sickbay, she had pulled the celebrating Owl to the side, pushed him against the wall and sank her teeth into his neck. Encapsulated in fear and fury, she had replenished her degrading sense of self worth with the power rush of feeding and when she stopped, the banshee had realized with horror, that she had gone to far.

When an infected selects you as his source, what gets you addicted in the end isn't the bite, like all cringe-inducing trideos make you believe, it's the act of draining your aura, that provides a better high than any other drug imaginable. Once you are hooked, there is no turning back – the pheromones in the infected saliva permanently change a part in your brain, engraving your owner deep into your flesh. Caught in desperation about the crime she had committed, Lilith descended into a truly vicious cycle: She loathed herself for breaking her vow, but driven on by the need to be of help to her friends, she searched for a way to get out of the depression. And she found it once more in the tingling feeling of mixing Owl's energy with hers, feeling him tremble beneath her, getting lost in the power he provided her with.

Lilith so lightly blamed Jones and Mirror's Dad for the decline of her influence and contacts, but in truth, she was also at fault. She had always had the ability to induce others with fear, but now that Owl's presence was looming behind her, the aura of a never sated beast followed her everywhere, additionally scaring of contacts.

She was breaking away piece by piece, or to be more exact, she had been broken years ago by forces way surpassing her own might. What was disappearing now, was merely the glue, that Mirror had used to put her back together, and now Jones used his opportunity to burn away the last remains.

When she laid eyes on Owl, standing alone in the huge doorway, shivering from suppressed desire, searching the room with wide, dialed pupils full of fear and longing, an expression changing quickly once he saw her, something broke inside Lilith for good. With shaky feet she rose, the chair slumping to the floor behind her, spiraling from her sudden use of force. A shiver ran down her spine, vividly reflected on Owl and with one motion, faster than expected from a normal human, he moved towards her, falling to his feet in front of her, lowering his head in submission. There was a clearly audible tremble in his voice as he spoke.

“My Lilith, please.... I beg of you.... bite me, take me...”, he threw back his head, exposing his vulnerable throat to her, giving her a clear invitation. She knew, what she would see could she look into his eyes at that exact moment – the reflection of the monster, she really was. She had to get out of here, she needed some quiet and time to breath – to recollect herself, best would be an abandoned oasis filled with moonlight.

The rest of the room was watching in horrified and shocked silence as she flinched away from the offered silky skin as if it were the sun, her breath leaving lingering drops. When Lilith straightened and hastily made for the exit, from the corner of her eyes, she caught Mitchell's lip movement, when he whispered to his best friend, while eyeing towards their contently smiling host.

“When did he get all confident?”

In an instant, the seductive scent from Owl was gone, together with everything else – the wooden door shut closed behind her with a bang and the cold of the hallway embraced her once more.


	6. Next is a trip to the, the ladies room in vain, and I bet you just can't keep up with, (keep up) with these fashionistas, and...

Lilith was storming down the hallway, mindlessly and clueless, pushing open doors left and right in desperate search for a retreat. She could feel her normal swiftness and agility fade, her power running through her fingers like water as the background count increased once more with the accurate mental _tick-tick-tick _of exceptional spellweaving. Her vision blurred, moonlight and gaslight fading and mixing to glowing dots dancing around her, the hallway tilting to one side as the bangs of forcefully opened doors were drowned out by the stroke of an ancient grandfather clock, announcing the arrival of the new day. The heel of her right shoe got caught at the end of the thick carpet, sending the banshee stumbling to the floor – the short pain of a twisted ankle faded quickly, but the nasty tear in the delicate lace of her dress was beyond repairable. Aching, Lilith kicked the broken shoes of her feet and hurried onward, feeling burning tears dwelling in the corners of her eyes.

It must have been a mixture of the spell remnants, the magically active wine, the loss of her powers and her inner demons, that had sent her down this spiral of final degradation. And while her self-esteem was dipping down, old memories were resurfacing. She clutched the handle of the door next to here, swung it open with a forceful push and threw herself into the room without checking its contents first. Pressing her back against the hard cold wood, Lilith closed her eyes and breathed in the undisturbed air as the recollection hit her.

_Pain, unimaginable sharp pain spread from her palm throughout her whole right arm, bringing tears to her eyes and she couldn't hold back the desperate whimper, that was threatening to escape her lips. The salty water dropped down onto the fresh wound, amplifying her agony and mixed with her red blood it moistened the heel, that was slowly boring a hole into her soft flesh. Lilith, no Lucy, huddled up even more, her movement only making it worse – the shoe would not move, just like the conscious of its bearer would not be moved by her begging. So the little girl remained silent, trying to suppress further outbreaks of emotion, knowing they would only increase her punishment.  
“You stupid whore!”, the pressure on her fragile hand increased and the slap of the voice hit her simultaneously with a slap in her face, “How can you be incapable of fulfilling even the simple task of holding your posture?”._

“_I am sorry, Madame. Just give me one more chance, please! I-I-I...am certain I won't disappoint you again.”  
“Your father has given me one job: groom you into a lady, worthy of his attention and support. He is paying me enough not to dash his hopes, so I will continue to fight the weak whore blood in you. Get up!” The shoe lifted itself from her hand and the familiar touch of magic rushed over her, healing the wound without leaving a trace behind. Still tortured by pain, Lucy got up._

Slowly, reality began to trickle into the memory, until the nightmare was completely drowned out and pushed back again into the dark corners of her mind. Continuing her deep breathing, Lilith carefully constructed walls back around it, keeping the darkness at bay. She had lost her sense of time, but the deep strokes of the clock had subsided, there was only silence around her. Lilith blinked and for the first time, she fully took in her whereabouts: She had by chance stumbled into the ladies room.


	7. Tonight, tonight you are, you are a whispering campaign, I bet to them your name is "Cheap", I bet to them you look like shh...

The splashes of freezing water followed the soft line of her cheek bones, taking the same path as her tears and dripping into the white porcelain basin below. A look in the mirror before her had confirmed Lilith's fear: She looked horrible with her torn wannabe dress, her smeared makeup, her ruined hair and a disaster of emotions swirling in her eyes. Naturally her skin was still a shining, immaculate white, her posture elegant and upright – but these were the mere effects of her damned curse, things she could not change even if she wanted to. The banshee was broken on the inside and to an extent, that it was reflecting on the outside.  
Lilith clung to the edges of the sink, bowing over it, her sharp nails cracking off the glazing as they bury themselves deep into the fine material. This elfin demon had pushed her into this position, had forced her to use all her power to keep her inner darkness in check, while diminishing her resources through his illusions. And now... here she was. Hiding in an abandoned bathroom, after she had been exposed in front of her political enemies for what she really was: an abomination, a bloodthirsty monster, a slave keeper. How should she go back in there?

Loose strains of her hair got caught in the still pouring stream of water and when she threw her head back, the wet strands stuck to her skin, falling into her eyes. Lilith did not bother to remove them, what good would it do? **He **was back in the dining room at that very moment, talking to the rest of his guests as well as Owl, denouncing her. Poor, poor Owl would probably go crazy soon, now being separated again from her. Being exposed to a background count this high with his sensitive surged system must feel like hell... him freaking out would only make matters worse. In front of all of them, Lilith had lost her looks, her face, her control – everything important in the eyes of the rich and powerful.  
The banshee had come here, full of confidence and power, ready to stand up for her cause, for her friends, for her love – telling Jones, what she needed from him loud and clear and not giving in until she got it. But instead, her campaign had been a whispering one, she had just been tossed around to his willing without announcing her claims. Lilith had failed her mission.


	8. Talk to the mirror, oh, choke back tears and keep telling yourself that "I'm a diva!"

Her mirror image simply kept staring at her, without mercy, without wavering, the streams of tears on its cheeks glistening like liquid silver in the moonlight, the elegant window in the wall behind her let in. The shining light painted the scene in gray and blue, cold colors, that would have made most people feel more desolated and alone. To Lilith, this was a reminder, that Moon would never forsaken her, that she was with her even in her darkest hours and as warmth blossomed in the adept's heart, she knew what she had to do. Choking back the hot tears, her hands hastily fumbled over her dress, searching and after a painfully long time finally finding her mobile.

“_Thank you mother Moon for answering my plead and staying with me. I am here for love, for the man, I don't deserve and will never get...I have failed you, Mirror, but I will not forget, that you are the reason for this evening in the first place. I have called you every day for the last few weeks and you have never answered me – you must be in a horrible situation and for once, you probably really need my help. Please, I need to hear your voice right now, a reassurance, that my efforts here are not in vain from the beginning.   
When you wore the mask of King, I saw you slowly descend into darkness and madness, transforming into a monster in its own way and up until now, the best thing I have ever done is awake you from that nightmare. But I know how you look at Annie and I know, what she feels for you. Still, I will and would always give myself up for your rescue. So, please, answer me!”_

Lilith entered Mirror's last known cover number with shivering fingers and pressed call. Clumsily holding the phone to her ear, she stared out of the window into the garden, her pointy teeth boring bleeding holes into her bottom lip in an attempt to counter the stress. Minutes akin to days passed.  
Then, when she was about to cancel the call, when she began to believe, that this would end like any of her other attempts this far, a crackling sound filled the line. It sent a shiver down her spine and Lilith couldn't help but flinch as a husky, disrupted, but very familiar voice spoke into her ear.

“L...Lilith? Is that really y...”, loud banging in the background mixed with screams and gun shots interrupted Mirror's soft way of speaking.   
The cold paralysis of shock instantly gave way to heat and adrenaline and the banshee's voice spiraled as she started answering in a hurry.

“Yes, yes, Mirror, it's me! I have been trying to reach you for the last four weeks! Where are you, are you in danger?! How can I reach and help you best?!”

She was unable to hide the alarming urgency in her words, sentiments began resurfacing now that she had finally reached him and shook her fragile calm once more, leaving her trembling on the brink of tears. Lilith pressed her back against the sturdy door, the wood prickling on her naked skin and with closed eyes, she only focused on the bits of sentences, that managed to reach her. Wherever he exactly was, someone or something was interfering heavily with the signal.

“Island...Sister...zombies...resort...typhoon on the horizon...”.   
And then, with an elongated horrific scream drowning out the rest of his words, the connection was lost. Lilith was alone again, in the illusionist's mansion, trapped – but something had changed. She now knew without a doubt, that Mirror was alive and in danger, moreover, she had directly spoken to him. Her faith and determination had been rekindled and when she looked into the mirror in front of her now, she saw a beaten, but fearsome warrior.

Lilith straightened herself and in one motion, she spun around and opened the door. She had hidden long enough. The blue moonlight accompanied her on her way back down the hallway, past ceiling high windows, marvelous paintings and a pair of broken high heels. Her head was held high, the wet hair in her face, the messed up makeup had become meaningless. She would not forget her mission again!

“_I am Lucy Cline, the shadows know and fear me as Lilith, and I am an adept of the Moon. I will not be afraid, I will not turn back, I will not abandon my mission. Even if it is the last thing I do, I will gladly give myself up to help my friends, my love. I have been beaten, abused – taught how to be coldblooded, how to outmaneuver an opponent, how to be a diva. Mephisto Jones, I have nothing to lose anymore: The few intact pieces of me I still had left upon my arrival here have been obligingly removed by you...”_

She repeated the sentences internally all the way up to the huge door, that apparently closed off all the sounds. Taking a final deep breath in, Lilith placed her hand on the doorknob and pushed it open, entering the dining hall once again.


	9. Oh and the smokes in that cigarette box on the table, they just so happen to be laced with nitroglycerin

The picture, that presented itself to her was one of utter chaos: While she was gone, everyone else must have also lost their mind, giving in to their primal instincts. For the first few seconds, Lilith just stood on threshold, her eyes darting through the room, trying to comprehend the information she was delivered.

First, her gaze was automatically drawn to the source of the most wonderful smell, caressing her nostrils, coming from the right most corner of the room. Owl was sitting there, huddled together, he had his arms wrapped around his knees so tightly, that his knuckles were turning white. Instinctively, the banshee wanted to take one step forward as her fine ears filtered the right sound out of the chaos and the heartbreaking sobbing and whimpering reached her. The urge to protect her food source was strong within her, only overshadowed by the desire to lick the fresh blood dripping down his throat – the dried bloodstains under his fingernails were proof, that he had slashed his wrists himself, driven mad by withdrawal.   
Before she could make a move, her trance like fixation on Owl was broken by two people flying threw her field of vision, crashing to the floor and continuing their fight there. Mitchell had catapulted himself on top of Phillip and the two men were now rolling over the parquet, past Owl in his corner, not minding the blood they were smearing all over themselves. Their faces were twisted in rage and agony, Mitchell's hands closing around Phillip's throat, strangling his “friend”. None of them paid closer attention to his surroundings, they were completely engrossed in their brawl.

“_What has happened here? I was only gone about 15 minutes, definitely not longer and now, they are beating each others brains out. And all of that with a passion, rivaling the aggression of my most heated professional pit fighters. Jones does everything for a reason, but up until now, the only reason I can imagine for this, is another display of power. Which would be unnecessary... Where is he, anyway?”_

  
Lilith shook her head and entered the room, trying to get eye contact with Owl, reassuring him. However, she stumbled and almost fell to the ground, when arms wrapped around her ankles out of nowhere, latching onto her – fingernails were dug into her soft flesh, tearing the remnants of her fine silk stockings even further in the process. Her body shifted into a fighting stance, years of training kicking in, but Lilith relaxed her body again as soon as she tried to shake the attacker off and noticed their weakness almost immediately. While the initial grapple had felt powerful, this strength had merely been born out of desperation and did not hold out against her kick. She still completed the elegant spin, bringing distance between her and the man, looking down on him. Cavalieri was kneeling besides the entrance door and looking back, the adept was unsure how she had missed him in her first scan of the room. He had his head lowered, his body language screamed submission and now, that her legs were free from his grasp, his former trembling hands lay spread out and still on the floor.   
  


“Please, please Miss Lilith... I am not shocked by your true nature, it is what I need, what I wish for. Grant me your blessing, free me from the bane of the reaper...”.   
The elder's voice was husky, but clearly pleading – he was begging her to infect him.

“_I will not do this, no matter how much you make him beg, devil. I will stand strong and honor my vow – this disease should never be spread, especially not because an old man who had his time on earth is afraid of dying.”_

_   
_ So she closed the pity she was feeling for this creature away in the depths of her heart, raised her head high and walked past Cavalieri – from that moment onward he had become a non-person to her. She moved forward, but neither Kosuke, the last guest, nor Jones himself where anywhere in the dining hall as far as she could tell. 

Now that she was thinking about it, she had not seen her old “partner” since they had entered the mansion together ages ago. He had not been here the first time she had joined up with the rest of the party, he had just disappeared...curious. Since she had to talk to Jones directly and this was most likely another test, Lilith decided to simply set her former chair upright again, sit down on it and wait for him, ignoring the mess around her. Time, feeling like days, passed.  
Right in front of her, next to the dreaded silver plate, the filigree crystal wine glass filled with dark red liquid awaited her. She had taken the first sips under spell influence and could still feel the unusual heaviness in her limbs caused by it. Curiously she picked the delicate container up and took in the plentiful of aromas emerging from the magically active wine – almost instantly, her over tuned sense of smell went crazy, dizziness enveloping her. Lilith sat the glass back down, getting high again was the last thing she needed.

  
“Ah, the wine of the living dead – it has always served me well and even today, it has fulfilled its task masterfully. You should feel honored, that you have tasted it, it is a rarity in its own sense and difficult to acquire.” _  
_

The banshee's head turned into the direction of the dark, creamy voice: The elfin sorcerer had entered the room from another, almost invisible door located in the back right corner and now moved calmly and self-confident through the room. No blood on the floor left stains on his suit, no fighting men bumped into him, no whimpering distracted him. He glided to his chair and sat down opposite of her, picking up his own wine glass and expertly swirling it in his hands. His icy eyes luckily were not focused on her, but the tension between them was still almost touchable. Lilith cleared her voice before raising it carefully.

“Jones, Sir, I think we are past the point of merely playing games, it is time to negotiate. I'd like to propose...”.  
Mephisto raised a finger and in that simple movement lay so much dominance, that she had to obey him and interrupted herself in the middle of her sentence. Her eyes were basically glued to his slender hand and followed his gesturing as he pointed towards the other guests, one after another.

  
“The wine amplifies the innermost hidden desires of a person, until they are completely consumed by it, unable to think of anything else. Up until the first time you left this room, the wine needed time to settle into their organisms, but oh...look at them now”.   
Jones's voice grew darker, regret leaking into it as he continued speaking, picking up pace in the process – it felt like he gave her a lecture, spilling out his thoughts in front of her, hoping she would understand. It reminded Lilith of her earlier encounter with the small woman, Rachel.

  
“Cavalieri's deepest desire is immortality, not to lose his throne of power to death, so I opened his eyes to the only solution left. He has all treatments behind him money can buy, but becoming infected could cure his problem instantly and for good. And now that he has seen the light, dancing in front of his eyes, close but out of reach, he can not NOT see it anymore. But he can't accept your opinion or that losing ones humanity is worse than succumbing to an only natural process. If he had not spend his last years desperately searching for a “cure”, he would have been able to pass on more knowledge to his successor, embedding his legacy and reaching a sense of immortality that way. I hope at the end of this evening, he will understand.”   
His attention moved onward and again, she followed, their gaze wandering through the room as if they had become one entity. From far, far away Lilith felt the gentle touches of his magic tugging at her consciousness.

“Our friends Mitchell and Phillip have been enveloped in rage against each other – both came here as “allies”, searching for the reasons for their diminishing power. They expected me to tell them the respective culprits and I did, resulting in this situation here.

The truth is now revealed to them: In their attempts to gather enough resources to catch my attention and to come here, they have only sabotaged each other further, greatly accelerating the speed of their decay. If they had instead initiated investigations on their own and maybe even worked towards a common goal, with enough finesse they would have most likely been able to recover. But people never learn, humans never change...”.  
His bitterness in the last sentence hit her like a truck, her heart ached under the sudden, ages old pressure. Lilith was glad when he only quickly glanced over Owl, another attack of guilt would push her dangerously close to the edge again.

  
“Kosuke's desire was apparent and strong as soon as he entered this mansion, I did not even need the wine to tickle it out of him. He needed a hiding place, one, none of his pursuers would be able to find. In some way, he also feared death, but his fear was born from age old tradition and a dangerously pronounced sense of honor. I fulfilled his wish and provided him with shelter the moment his foot touched my threshold...it's a hiding place, no one will ever find, but he won't find the entrance or exit either.”

A sigh escaped his delicate lips and in one motion, Jones put the wine glass down untouched and rose from his throne. As he slowly moved around the table, Lilith could feel the delicate spell slide off of her, but she was to busy thinking about, what the magician had just told her. He had provided her with a different point of view and suddenly, completely free from any influence, it became apparent to Lilith, what Rachel had wanted to tell her.

  
_“He has tried time and time again to show all his guests the truth and that they just have to DO something on their own... that their goal is not unreachable as long as they think and fight for themselves. But through this evening plastered with indications and incentives, in the end they have all chosen the easy way out. Let someone else do it for you, begging and waiting are easier and more convenient. He has grown bitter over the years, I can not possibly judge for how long he has been doing this... He might not be a devil after all...”_  
  
Jones stopped next to the middle of the table and reached for its center, past food and beverages. There, hidden between boles and glasses, was a masterfully crafted marquetry in form of an old fashioned summoning circle and with quick presses on the right runes, the elf revealed a secret compartment. From the looks of it, it fulfilled the task of a cigarette box and indeed, Jones now carefully lifted two expensive cigars out of it. For the first time since the banshee had returned from her breakdown, he locked eyes with her, blue flames flickering in the deep aquamarine seas of his iris, again threatening to consume her. He chose his words wisely, weighing the impact of each one, while he slowly approached her with a hand holding out one of the cigars.   
  
“I know you all see me as a demon and especially for you, I am a cancerous ulcer proliferating in your city. I won't deny the manipulation spells I cast on all of you, that would be a wasted effort and an insult to your intelligence and abilities. But maybe now you see, that I am a man of my word and one of my goals include showing my guests the right path. I gave all of them multiple chances and in the first place, I did not want them harmed.”  
Lilith sat there, following his movements closely with her eyes and once he was close enough, her fine nose took in his scent, an overwhelming mixture of smoke, wine and dark chocolate. His charm was captivating and for the first time this evening, she did not feel threatened by him. If this was the way to go to get Mirror the help he needed, she would gladly give him her body. He was an attractive devil after all.   
He stopped in front of her chair, still keeping an acceptable amount of distance, twirling the cigars between his fingers . A mischievous smile played on his lips as he held one out once again.   
“Please, as sign of my sincerity, accept his cigar and smoke it with me...”.


	10. And I know, and I know, it just doesn't feel like a night out with no one sizing you up

Lilith swallowed hard, every deep breath she took in in an attempt to calm her racing heart flooded her with a new wave of his scent. Still, she gained strength from her earlier resolution and bravely locked eyes with him, searching for the there lurking flames. Her tongue inadvertently traced her pointy teeth and her bottom lip, tasting his pheromones.  
“I am sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Jones, but I don't smoke.”  
The expensive, raw material of his suit trousers brushed against her soft, exposed skin, visible through the nasty tears in her outfit, when he took another step towards her and put his left hand down on the back of her chair. If she moved her head to the left in the slightest, she would automatically bury her cheek into the gentle sweep of the crook of his arm. He was mesmerizing even without magic and the effect he had on her definitely didn't go unnoticed. His second arm followed, capturing her head between them and sending shivers down her spine.   
“You are different from the other guests, Lilith, you are truly exceptional...”.  
The elf bowed his head, his tantalizing lips drawing ever closer. Jones's soft hair shortly touched her chin as he put his mouth close to her ear, whispering his next words directly into it.

“I have used all my repertoire on you, trying to draw out your inner most desire. I thought it must definitely be the man you are here for, Mirror...but I admit it, Lilith, you have surprised me.”  
The banshee felt his hot breath against her ear, he was so close, he was almost sucking her ear lob between his full lips as he spoke.

  
_“Mirror... yes... what would he think of me if he could see me now? Would he be disappointed, think I did not do enough for him? Or would he be sad, because I sell my soul and body for his rescue? I have promised myself to stay strong when coming out of the bathroom, but as soon as I thought I figured out the rules of this game, he has turned them on their head. Now I am here, confused, but I start to get turned on... The background count has become so high, that I can't read his body language anymore, the suffering of the others in the room has increased it tenfold. It feels so wrong doing this, but I know for certain, that the only spell I am under at this moment is his charisma. So I will play this game with him instead.”  
_ Lilith nestled her cheek against the touch of his arm, batting her eyelashes and lighting a fire of her own in her gray eyes.

“So I have surprised the masterful sorcerer? I willingly accept this compliment.”

His right hand parted from the back rest, his slender fingers brushing against her naked shoulder and then slowly gliding down her body with touches as light as a feather. More dark chocolate dribbled into her ear. _   
_ “Indeed you have... I first showed you your sister, thinking it would remind you not only of the horrible events, but also of the person, that had been there for you afterwards, helping you get back on your feet and eventually bringing you to this country. Instead, you developed an all consuming desperation, focusing on how you have “failed” your little sister...”.

Bolts of lightning pierced through the adept's body as the distinct shape of her breasts was outlined by one of his fingernails and unable to suppress it any longer, with a breathless sigh a moan escaped her. The chaos around them was forgotten, all her senses were exclusively tuned to him, his calm heart providing a steady beat in the background.  
“I let you talk to Rachel, in the hopes that her soft words and the reminder of your origins would also ignite memories of old companions, one in particular. Or that at least the thus evoked rage provokes you to take actions on your own. Also, to no avail...”.  
Mephisto's hand continued on its path, now stroking the beautiful shape of Lilith's waist, lazily drawing intertwined glyphs on the fine lace. By now, she had her eyes closed, reacting to every one of his touches with a small sigh, helplessly pinned to the chair under him. From an outside perspective, one could think he hesitated with his slow strokes, but both of them knew he merely took his time, savoring the moment. Nobody could take this from him, in some sense this was his victory feast and he would enjoy it down to the last bite.

“Then my last utensil, my treasured wine, has confirmed my growing suspicion. It did not conjure a picture of your desperate love nor your lost sister – it merely send you further down your path, filled you with self-loathing and visions of degradation. While you are here, telling yourself you want to save your friends, I have found your truth, Lilith.”

He retreated his head from her ear and when she felt the soft touch of his thumb under her chin, she willingly opened her eyes and was consumed by the blue fire in his. He was only centimeters away from her and although she had no idea how it had come there, he held one of the cigars softly between his lips.

His eyes held her captive, tangible electricity was crackling between them and Lilith's body tensed as he slowly approached her. First, their foreheads met, his hair mingling with hers, creating a picture akin to a passionate couple, drawing peace and courage from the existence of the other. Finally, the raw softness of his bottom lip brushed against hers, giving her the slightest teaser of his full-mouthed taste and making her hands clutch around the handles of the chair. She wanted, needed more of him – his scent became omnipresent and hunger growled in the depths of her stomach.   
The magician's quick tongue maneuvered the cigar into the right position and when his fingernail lightly scratched the vulnerable skin of her throat, the banshee willingly parted her lips for him. Gently and adroitly the bitter end of the stub was transferred into her mouth, unique aromas superimposing the prior taste of wine, tickling her senses.   
A lovely smile tucked at Jones's lips as he retreated, but the feeling of emptiness his withdrawal created lingered. Lilith pinched her lips together and waited for his next move – if he found her smoking sexy, she would do him this pleasure. Mephisto let his eyes wander over her body, taking in the view before he replaced the touch of his lips with the tip of his slender index finger, resting in the gentle hollow under her bottom lip. When their eyes met again, something different glowed in his dark blue seas, turning them into small typhoons and replacing the faked lust. A small flame sprung to life on top his finger, glistening in all shades of blue imaginable and dancing merely millimeters away from the cigar.

“I now know you, Lilith...Your innermost desire is oblivion: You want your existence to end, you hate yourself for your actions and more importantly for who you are. In the shadows you have created a haven for the infected, the outcasts of society and the misunderstood, while you yourself think of them as monsters! In the end you are selfish, seeking release from your life under the disguise of a noble sacrifice. But as with all my guests, I will do my best to fulfill your wish.”

Her eyes widen at his words, their harshness finally cutting through the numbing veil of arousal, that had enveloped her and she hastily tried to put distance between them. He had lulled her into a false sense of security with his elaborate lies, he was a master at bending the truth to his liking and selling it to his victims. The devil of stories had outmaneuvered her, the realization of final defeat hit her the moment the cigar was ignited. Flames leaped up, engulfing her and her world started to burn.


	11. I've never been so surreptitious, so of course you'll be distracted, when I spike the punch

As her surroundings transformed into hell and a large explosion shook the mansion, Lilith knew her only way to survive was giving up conscious thinking and letting her quicker instincts take over control. With a feral screech, she transformed into shadowy mist, thus saving her body from the direct impact and the raging fire – in that state, however, even a strong gust of wind could disrupt and scatter her around the region, let alone a shock wave of this magnitude.

The feeling of being torn apart was agonizing and deprived form the ability to elevate the pain through screaming, she was confined to cry mentally. Desperately, the banshee tried to maintain every drop of willpower to keep this form up as she was catapulted around the area, completely losing orientation. Right, left, up and down lost its meaning as her shadows mixed with smoke and blood of the other less fortunate guests, but the situation did not allow her to savor the taste.  
In the end, her own biggest regret and mistake was the final nail in her coffin. Owl resisted the elements longer than the others, in midst the chaos Lilith repeatedly caught glimpses of him and every time the knot of guilt in her chest unfolded more.   
After prolonged struggling and suffering, the Surged human also succumbed to the raging fire, collapsing near the remnants of the large door– the sharp mental feedback of his death swept away her last bit of concentration, causing her to give up the mist form. From all corners of the now crumbling room gravitated bits of her self towards a small, quite untouched spot near an outside bearing wall and painfully quickly compressed into the banshee's normal body.

Just as her freshly formed bare feet landed softly on the stained, burning floor and her long eyelashes tried to blink away the sticky ash particles raining from the sky, an overwhelming gust of wind arose from the middle of the ruins and lashed out into all directions. Smoke and ash blinded Lilith, she did not see the danger approaching her until it was too late: The whirlwind had picked up scraps of silverware and huge splinters of mahogany and hurled it towards the stunned woman, transforming the remains into deadly weapons. The ability to form cohesive thoughts was gone for good, when she was knocked back and pinned against the hard surface, uncountable of those poisonous objects burying themselves inside her soft flesh. Liquid lava pulsated through her veins, any attempts of regeneration were blocked out by the substances she was vulnerable to - all Lilith could do was hang there broken and in misery, screaming her agony out into the fallen world.

  
As quickly as it had come up, the wind subsided and through ashes and tears, the adept could see the epitome of the sudden storm: There, unblemished and still devilish handsome, stood Jones, ruling over the destruction like a glorified king. He seemed detached from the chaos around him and even more detached seemed the phoenix on his shoulder, the likely cause of the sudden attack. His eyes were now fully burning blue flames and he took all the time in the world, slowly striding towards her – dirt and blood seemed to shed away from him on his path. She might have checked the aura of the bird, its green eyes seemed utterly familiar, but she had no strength left. The thought was dancing just out of reach and faded away as another wave of pain hit her. Every last bit of her energy was consumed by breathing, her vision blurred even more. It felt like years to her, but when he finally stood before her, Lilith pulled herself together and almost inaudibly whispered:  
“Why...?”  
She paid for this one word tenfold, as catastrophic coughing shook her weak body, causing her to twist and thus driving the scraps deeper into her flesh. But it was worth it, the urge to know after the entirety of this evening was almost as strong as the agony. The elf stopped In front of her and stretched out his hand, tenderly cupping her cheek in his palm.

“I will tell you why, Lilith. As I have mentioned before I am a man of my words and your case has been a special one. I have already had a disposition about your friends before you even decided to consult me and I am bound by this promise. I am sure Rachel has mentioned something like that during your conversation, but I don't fault you for not connecting the dots. Almost nobody does. So you see, I couldn't fulfill your request – so this whole evening was tendered towards two goals and I told myself, that I would be happy with either one I reached. Either you realize my plans and have a free decision for or against them or I at least aid you in fulfilling your deepest desire. See it as a compensation of sorts.”

His voice was soft and fury raged in Lilith's stomach as she listened to him, she was so mad at both him and herself, for not realizing this farce sooner, for not acting more intelligent, for failing Mirror. Tears, not born out of pain, dripped down her cheeks, splitting over the magician's fingernails and wetting the back of his hand.

“So you have reached the end of this journey, Lucy Cline. The sun is about to rise and it will paint the world in new colors, the colors of endless possibilities. Fear not, I will make sure your friend receives help in the end and will have an eye on the dog as well. They will most likely proof to be worthy and interesting...  
For you however, I have another mission and I will lay you dormant until you are ready to be Lilith again. In the end, your goal is not death itself, but forgiveness through forgetting after all. So close your eyes...”

  
The pain was tantalizing and his words were so promising and hypnotizing, she wanted to believe them. Her whole existence lay heavily on her shoulders and now, he here was – offering her the way out of this... With the last of her strength, Lilith nodded. She did not see the smile on Jones's lips anymore nor did she hear the hoarse screech of the phoenix. As soon as she felt the soft tips of his fingers closing her eyes, Lucy Cline, illegitimate daughter to the CEO of Horizon, in the underworld known, obeyed and feared as Lilith, let go and embraced gentle and forgiving blackness. Her body came off the wall, the harming pieces pouring to the ground and the unconscious banshee directly fell into Jones's waiting embrace.   
He held her safely in his arms and carried her through the room, the illusion of ruins and fire vanishing on his path, revealing a fully intact dining hall with several sleeping figures sitting at the table next to half-finished wineglasses. The rising sun shone through the grand window, bathing the two in glowing shades of orange, yellow and red – two phoenixes engulfed in flames, freshly rising from the ashes.

A few hours later, in a small guest bedroom, Amanda Scott, loyal and trained bodyguard, opened her eyes for the first time, ready to serve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... that's it! It took me three months to finish this beast and I had to push through several bad cases of writers blockade. I finally, finally finished it!   
I hope you all still enjoyed it - I know, a lot of references are unfortunately lost on you, because you don't know the characters as well as me or my boyfriend, but maybe the overall experience was still worth your time.  
Love you all, thanks for reading, feedback is always greatly appreciated! <3


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